FAO's 2010-11 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture report makes a powerful business case for promoting gender equality in agriculture. In this video, Terri Raney, editor of The State of Food and Agriculture, gives a short interview on the importance of achieving gender equality for agricultural development and food security.

In her message to the three Rome-based UN agencies (FAO, IFAD and WFP), the US Secretary of State emphasized the need to support women in agriculture, so they can become full partners in meeting the MDGs.

"Achieving gender equality is not merely a question of fairness - but also a strategic economic decision which the world can no longer afford to delay," said Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Jacobo Regalado, Minister of Agriculture for Honduras, says FAO's latest SOFA report is an important document that sheds light on many critical issues related to women and agriculture. (Spanish)

Marcela Villarreal, Director of FAO's Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division, explains why a high-level meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council puts the spotlight on gender equality and the empowerment of women.